Unit Summary: Foundations

All architecture is based on a foundation of commodity, firmness, and delight. If it does not include commodity, it is seen as sculpture. Architecture also uses aedicule, which a series of division of spaces to help break down the building logically. As a form of aedicule humans started using the post and lintel system, from stonehenge in Britain to the temples of Egypt. Although primitive in its basicness, it was able to support incredible weight. The downside was that you would need many columns for support. The hypostyle halls in Egypt are very impressive, but not as functional as since the space is not open. This prototype of a clerestory to let in light was also founded in these halls, and this idea was later borrowed in medieval churches for the same purpose. In Egypt we also see the difference between masculine and feminine architecture, which is even more prominent in Roman architecture, with the use of wu-wus and triumphiant arches, which are representative of male and female genitalia, respectively.
The Greeks were heavily inspired by the Egyptians, but their values were slightly different. In Egypt time seemed to stand still for thousands of years, life was pleasant for most of the empire and resources were used to make sure that in the afterlife you were able to bring all the pleasures from the physical world. Greek life was not as relaxed, and the emphasis was to make yourself last forever by leaving something great on this earth that would last many lifetimes to come. Enamored with logistics and proportion, Greek architecture strove for visual perfection. This was especially exemplified in the parthenon, which does not have a straight line on it so your eye is drawn upward, towards the gods. The Greeks still used the post and lintel system, and the columns were established into varying complex orders. The two main ones were the Doric and Ionic orders. The Greeks did not pay as much attention to interiors however, since most time was spent outside.
The Romans were more focused on exhibiting the strength and power of their empire, and their buildings received lavished ornamentation, but on the exterior that usually only included the front (most visible) side. Although they were able to conquer and rule the Greeks, they also were heavily influenced by them. They expanded on their building archetypes to create their own Roman hybrids. They enjoyed using the Greek orders, but also expanded upon them to create the composite and corinthian orders, a hybrid of the previous orders. These columns were usually mix and matched as surface decorations, because through the invention of concrete the post and lintel system was no longer the most efficient one. The use of arches was used excessively in Roman architecture, and always made with concrete (although it was usually veneered with brick or wood.) Roman cities were also very different from Greek cities. Greek cities were usually organically built, while Roman cities were often shoot-offs of military compounds, built on a strict grid system with two major roads crossing throughout the city. Romans also used "bread and circuses" to keep to divert the public's attention away from political upheaval. This lead to the making of many public buildings, including the Colosseum and the Pantheon. But it also lead to the evolution of a new type of building to support the giant public baths so popular in the Roman Empire. This was the basilica, which would later be the foundation for the western church.